Hardest place you've found to fly fish

[krayfish2]

Looking at the resurrection of the "best fly fishing east of the Mississippi" thread, I thought why not toss it out there......"what's the most difficult / technical fly fishing you've had?"

Keep in within an 8 hour drive of central PA


The 2 that stand out in my mind are the Letort and EB of the Delaware. You almost need a sniper outfit to approach a fish on the Letort. One stumble and you're done with that pool. The EB is a different type of challenge. Multiple stages of multiple insects hatching, gin clear water, prevailing upriver wind and cat like stalk is required. It's like they have a 50-70' comfort zone and once you encroach, they simply move further away. You might put a 45 minute stalk on a fish, get one cast and he moves 50' further away. More time stalking, another cast and repeat for hours. It's hard to choose the right fly when you only get to run a cast over the fish every hour and there are 5 heavy hatches happening.

Big spring, spring and others may have selective fish but the fish is 15' from you and you can blood in the fish until it takes your offering. Love to hear what you guys have experienced.

 

[Bruno]

I will agree with the above mentioned places. However The North Branch of the Potomac River night be the hardest due to the wading. I have never fallen that much drunk or sober in my life. Each fall was particular hard even with studs and a staff.

 

[mattwolf]

Chenango Canal in Central NY. Around the town of Bouckville, Solsville, and Madison NY. Reminds me a lot of the Letort, but more difficult to get close to the fish you are stalking.

 

[krayfish2]

Yeah, difficult wading is a different critter though. I'll agree N Branch is a leg breaker as is Dauphin Narrows on Susky, Lehigh river and crossing Penns at midnight w/o headlamp in high flows

More difficult to close in on a fish than the Letort? I'll make sure that place is on my "Do Not Fish Here" list. Geez

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Yikes I'd say so

 

[Dave_W]

Agree with the selection of Letort and Delaware (and the Dauphin Narrows for wading).

Some honorable mentions for waters that often treat me rough and send me packing with a battered ego....

Slate Run
Yough
Fishing Creek (Clinton Co.)
Jersey surf
Any place where I'm targeting muskies

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Letort for trout .
Lower Susquehanna if wading

 

[afishinado]

Good ones so far ^

Any part of the Upper D River can be tough depending on the time, place or hatch you are fishing.

Certainly the Letort. Fishing any limestone stream in and around the vegetation can be tough, most especially because of the crazy micro currents the vegetation can create. As well the fish often do not expose themselves and have so many hiding places to utilize.

Penns can be very tough. The fish can turn off like someone flipped a switch.

Any "easy" stream can fish tough with low and clear water conditions making the fish very hard to approach and execute a cast.

Many times the most rewarding days are not the best catching days. Fooling a few under tough conditions can be a lot more satisfying than sticking one every third cast. YMMV, though.

 

[tomitrout]

Any "easy" stream can fish tough with low and clear water conditions making the fish very hard to approach and execute a cast.

^---this.

Hands down toughest conditions out there, can make the Letort seem like a cake walk at times.

 

[Canoetripper]

I have never caught a trout at the Letort or Big Fishing Creek. I've never fished the North Branch of the Potomoc, but I am on the message board on WVAngler and everyone there says it is a very difficult river to wade.

 

[moon1284]

Letort

 

[JackM]

The most treacherous wading I have encountered is Abrams Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park. You won't drown, but you might twist an ankle, slip a disk or get thoroughly soaked.

Letort deserves credit for kicking my butt time and time again, and the Yough, when running slow with risers can drive you crazy.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Won't fish the Delaware System , Letort or Yough....

 

[just_jon]

LeTort is definitely #1 for me. Nothing else I’ve fished comes close.

 

[wbranch]

Andy wrote;

You almost need a sniper outfit to approach a fish on the Letort.

I have only fished the Letort about four times in the 31 years I have lived in York County but I will surely agree it is a very difficult place to even see a trout let alone catch one. I have never hooked or even seen a trout there and have promised myself to never go back.

The EB of the Delaware should really be broken into two sections; From the beginning of fishable water below Pepacton Reservoir to the confluence with the Beaverkill at the Jaws Pool and from Jaws to the confluence with the WB of the Delaware near Hancock, NY. When there is a good hatch on the upper EB I find that the trout are not that hard to catch as long as you get a good drag free drift over them with a fly similar to what is emerging.

The degree of catching difficulty is directly related to the angling pressure on that section of the EB you are fishing. If you are fishing at the relatively new access at Long Flats where often you can find not a single space to park and a dozen or more guys lined up flailing the river it is going to be very hard to fool those trout. Conversely if you drift the river and get a mile or more away from any road side parking you will find rising trout that are more inclined to rise to your fly.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Lititz Run

 

[BrookieChaser]

The Mid-Atlantic salt during the summer.

 

[dryflyguy]

I'd go with the Letort.

The Delaware can be very tough too. But at least you usually have something hatching there, to get the fish rising well.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

"The Narrows" on Big Fishing Creek(Clinton County) is the most difficult I have fished in Pennsylvania.

The most difficult water I have EVER trout fished was on the "Dream Stream" (on the South Platte River)in Colorado. Those trout make the college educated trout in the Narrows look like elementary school children! LOL

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I see lots of people naming Letort. I think it really depends where you fish the stream as each section fishes differently and has different characteristics. The Middle and Lower Letort fish very well, and aren't as technical as the Heritage Area. You just need to explore the Letort more. For me, Logan Branch is exceptionally tough. Water is generally very clear and the fish are extremely skittish no matter how stealthy you are. The fish rarely rise and otherwise show themselves, so you must mentally log where you spook them as they are in every nook/cranny just to have a chance at them next time. Runner-up goes to Cedar Creek inside Cedar Creek Park in Allentown. Between the joggers, dogs, etc. the trout there are on red alert from mid-morning on. Throw in a bluebird sky and you can just about forget it.